WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will deliver the Democratic response to President Bush 's final State of the Union address - a marquee assignment for a woman who leads a state with fewer than 2 million voters .

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius speaks at a news conference in June 2007 in Washington .

Sebelius became the 44th governor of the state of Kansas in 2003 . She made her first run for governor on a pledge to make the state more business-friendly and increase government efficiency .

The Kansas governor has a political pedigree : Her father , John Gilligan , was a Democratic governor of Ohio in the '70s . But the governor has paid her political dues , with stints as a Kansas state representative and state insurance commissioner .

Since she moved into the governor 's mansion , Newsweek has identified Sebelius as `` one to watch . '' Time named her one of four `` rising stars from the heartland , '' and short-listed her as one of the nation 's five best governors .

`` Mark my words , Sebelius will be on everyone 's VP short list in 2008 , '' Democratic blogger Markos Moulitsas said on his Daily Kos Web site , as he applauded her 2006 success in wooing disaffected Kansas Republicans .

Most of the national political figures to come out of Kansas have been Republicans , like President Dwight Eisenhower and former Sen. Bob Dole . But entering her sixth year as governor , Sebelius seems to be everyone 's favorite pick to join that select group .

The down-to-earth governor has certified red state appeal with a blue state edge : She loves NASCAR and college sports , running and the Rolling Stones . And the 58-year-old has an offbeat sense of humor . -LRB- Sometimes , perhaps , a bit too offbeat for some voters -- like the time she said during an election-year debate that Missouri roads scared her more than the World Trade Center attacks . -RRB-

But the big draw for national Democrats is her skill at appealing to moderate GOP voters -- the only way a Democrat can win major office in Kansas . Sebelius has won two gubernatorial elections in a state with roughly twice as many registered Republicans as Democrats . Bush carried the state by at least 20 points in each of his presidential runs and no Democratic presidential contender has won there since Lyndon Johnson in 1964 .

When Sebelius was elected governor , Kansas faced a judicial order to increase school spending in the midst of its worst budget crisis since the 1930s . Under Sebelius ' leadership , the Kansas economy has rebounded , resulting in low unemployment and the creation of thousands of jobs , according to a Kansas government Web site .

Her first term was considered so successful that during her re-election run , a few Republicans tried to use it against her -- predicting she 'd probably be tapped for a White House run before she finished a second term .

So far , Sebelius has downplayed the scenario . But she has begun to have an impact beyond the Midwest . During her first term , she visited National Guard troops in Iraq . Last year , she took on a high-profile national assignment , serving as chairwoman of the Democratic Governors Association .

If Sen. Hillary Clinton fails to capture the presidential nomination this year , many Democrats say Sebelius will remain high on any vice presidential short list .

Democrats close to the campaign of Sen. Barack Obama told CNN Sebelius will announce after tonight 's State of the Union speech that she 's endorsing Obama . E-mail to a friend

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Kathleen Sebelius to deliver the Dems response to State of the Union

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Time Magazine short-listed her as one of the nation 's five best governors

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Sebelius governs state with twice as many registered Republicans as Democrats